Bruce Dubbs has announced the release of Linux From Scratch (LFS), version 6.8. More of an educational project than a Linux distribution in a traditional sense of the word, Linux From Scratch is a book of step-by-step instructions on how to build a minimalist Linux-based operating system from scratch - either by using an existing Linux installation or from a live CD. Version 6.8 brings new versions of the Linux kernel, GNU software and most other packages that make up the base system. From the release announcement: "The Linux From Scratch community is pleased to announce the release of Linux From Scratch (LFS) version 6.8. This release includes numerous changes to LFS 6.7 (including updates to Linux kernel 2.6.37, GCC 4.5.2, glibc 2.13) and security fixes. It also includes editorial work on the explanatory material throughout the book, improving both the clarity and accuracy of the text." The complete 303-page book is available either for online viewing or as a download in PDF, XML or HTML formats.

Linux From Scratch (LFS) is a project that provides you with the steps necessary to build your own custom Linux system. There are a lot of reasons why somebody would want to install an LFS system. The question most people raise is "why go through all the hassle of manually installing a Linux system from scratch when you can just download an existing distribution like Debian or Redhat". That is a valid question which I hope to answer for you. The most important reason for LFS's existence is teaching people how a Linux system works internally. Building an LFS system teaches you about all that makes Linux tick, how things work together, and depend on each other. And most importantly, how to customize it to your own taste and needs.

The Linux From Scratch (LFS) team has released a new copy of their free, electronic book which walks readers through the steps required to build a GNU/Linux operating system from scratch. The updated version of the text works with Linux kernel 4.0 and the new 5.1 branch of the GNU Compiler Collection. "This is version SVN-20150514 of the Linux From Scratch book, dated May 14, 2015. If this book is more than six months old, a newer and better version is probably already available. To find out, please check one of the mirrors." See the full changelog for a list of updates to the text. Linux From Scratch is available in two editions, one for people building a Linux system with SysV init and another for people who wish to use the more modern systemd init software. Downloads: LFS-sysvinit (2.0MB), LFS-systemd (1.8MB).

Bruce Dubbs has announced the launch of Linux From Scratch (LFS) and Beyond Linux From Scratch (BLFS), version 7.7. The latest copies of the freely available books come with several updates and walk the reader through assembling a Linux distribution from individual packages. "The Linux From Scratch community is pleased to announce the release of LFS Version 7.7 and BLFS Version 7.7. This release is a major update to both LFS and BLFS. The LFS release includes updates to glibc 2.21, Binutils 2.25, and GCC 4.9.2. In total, 30 packages were updated, fixes made to boot scripts, and changes to text have been made throughout the book. The BLFS version includes approximately 750 packages beyond the base Linux From Scratch Version 7.7 book. This release has over 710 updates from the previous version including numerous text and formatting changes." The brief release announcement can be found on the project's website. Downloads: LFS (2.0MB), BLFS (8.4MB).

Bruce Dubbs has announced the release of Linux From Scratch (LFS) 7.6, a book of step-by-step instructions on how to build a base Linux system from scratch. Beyond Linux From Scratch (BLFS) 7.6, a separate book that extends the base system with additional packages, was also released today. From the announcement: "The Linux From Scratch community is pleased to announce the release of LFS version 7.6, BLFS version 7.6, LFS systemd version 7.6, and BLFS systemd version 7.6. This release is a major update to both LFS and BLFS and now includes separate editions for systemd. The LFS releases include toolchain updates to glibc 2.20 and GCC 4.9.1. In total, 26 packages were updated and 8 packages added from LFS 7.5. The BLFS edition includes approximately 750 packages beyond the base Linux From Scratch version 7.6 book. It has over 880 updates from the previous version including numerous text and formatting changes. In addition, we would like to introduce for the first time a BLFS variant based on systemd." Both books are available for download from here: LFS-7.6 (HTML, 2.0MB) LFS-7.6 (PDF, 1.7MB), BLFS-7.6 (HTML, 8.4MB).

Bruce Dubbs has announced the release of Beyond Linux From Scratch (BLFS) 7.5, a book that builds on top of the Linux From Scratch (LFS) project by adding additional desktop and server software. From the brief release announcement (as published on the lfs-announce mailing list): "The Linux From Scratch community is pleased to announce the release of Beyond Linux From Scratch (BLFS) version 7.5. This version includes approximately 750 packages beyond the base Linux From Scratch version 7.5 book. The book has over 700 significant updates from the previous version as well as numerous text and formatting changes." The BLFS 7.5 release includes a number of programming and scripting languages (PHP 5.5.9, Python 3.3.4, Ruby 2.1.0), server software (Apache httpd 2.4.7, BIND 9.9.5, Dovecot 2.2.12, Postfix 2.11.0), databases (MariaDB 10.0.8, MySQL 5.6.16, PostgreSQL 9.3.3), X.Org Server 1.15.0, desktop environments (KDE 4.12.2, the latest Xfce and LXDE), LibreOffice 4.2.0 and the usual mix of open-source software. The BLFS 7.5 book is available for online viewing as well as download in HTML format.

Bruce Dubbs has announced the release of Linux From Scratch (LFS) 7.5, a book of step-by-step instructions on how to build a base Linux system from scratch - from an existing Linux system or a Linux live CD. The comprehensive 351-page publication serves primarily as an educational exercise for those who want to learn about Linux internals in a hands-on, practical manner. From the brief announcement on the project's news page: "The Linux From Scratch community announces the release of Linux From Scratch (LFS) stable version 7.5. It is a major release with toolchain updates to Binutils 2.24, glibc 2.19 and GCC 4.8.2. In total, 32 packages (of 62) were updated since LFS 7.4 and changes to bootscripts and text have been made throughout the book." Other notable changes include updates to Linux kernel 3.13.3, kmod 16, Perl 5.18.2 and systemd 208. See the changelog for a full list of package updates. The LFS 7.5 book is available either as an online resource or as a downloadable file in HTML and PDF formats. The book's French edition is also ready.

Bruce Dubbs has announced the release of Beyond Linux From Scratch (BLFS) 7.4, a book that extends the Linux From Scratch (LFS) project with extra software. It provides step-by-step instructions for compiling open-source software and building a usable Linux system which includes X Window System, desktop environments (KDE 4.11, GNOME 3.8 and Xfce 4.10) and window managers, office applications, multimedia programs and server components. From the brief release announcement (as published on the lfs-announce mailing list): "After five years, the BLFS team is happy to present version 7.4 of Beyond Linux From Scratch. This version includes approximately 750 packages beyond the base Linux From Scratch version 7.4 book. Keeping up to date with released packages that are useful to users is a challenge. On average, three new packages are released every day, seven days a week. As of this writing, BLFS is current. The vast majority of packages in the book have been verified to work in an LFS 7.4 environment, however a few (26) packages have only been built and not tested primarily due to hardware constraints." The BLFS 7.4 book is available for online viewing as well as download in HTML format.

Bruce Dubbs has announced a new stable release of Linux From Scratch (LFS), version 7.4. The Linux From Scratch project publishes a book of step-by-step instructions on how to build a base Linux system from scratch - from an existing Linux system or a live CD. The publication serves primarily as an educational exercise for those who would like to learn about Linux internals in a hands-on, practical manner. From the brief announcement on the project's news page: "The Linux From Scratch community announces the release of Linux From Scratch stable version 7.4. It is a major release with toolchain updates to Binutils 2.23.2, glibc 2.18 and GCC 4.8.1. In total, 32 packages (of 62) were updated from LFS 7.3 and changes to bootscripts and text have been made throughout the book." Other changes include updates to Linux kernel 3.10.10, Perl 5.18.1, systemd 206 and Vim 7.4. See the changelog for a full list of package updates. The LFS 7.4 book is available either as an online resource or as a downloadable file in HTML and PDF formats. The book is also available in French.

Bruce Dubbs has announced that the first release candidate for Linux From Scratch (LFS) 7.4 is available for testing. Linux From Scratch is a project that provides you with step-by-step instructions for building your own customized Linux system entirely from source. From the release announcement: "The Linux From Scratch community is pleased to announce the release of LFS Version 7.4-rc1. This is the first release candidate on the road to LFS-7.4. It is a major release with toolchain updates to binutils, glibc, and gcc. In total, 32 packages were updated from LFS-7.3 and changes to bootscripts and text have been made throughout the book. We encourage all users to read through this release of the book and test the instructions so that we can make the final release as good as possible. Please direct any comments about this release to the LFS development team." As usual, the Linux From Scratch book is available for online viewing and for download. The LFS project primarily serves as an educational exercise for those who are interested in the nuts and bolts of a Linux system.

Bruce Dubbs has announced the release of Linux From Scratch (LFS) 7.3, a book of instructions on how to build a base Linux system from scratch from an existing Linux system or a live CD: "The Linux From Scratch community is pleased to announce the release of LFS Version 7.3. It is a major release with toolchain updates to Binutils 2.23.1, glibc 2.17 and GCC 4.7.2. In total, 31 packages were updated from LFS 7.2 and changes to bootscripts and text have been made throughout the book." Other major updates in this release include Linux kernel 3.8.1, Coreutils 8.21, kmod 12, Perl 5.16.2, TCL 8.6.0, Texinfo 5.0 and udev 197 (extracted from systemd 197). Visit the project's news page to read the release announcement and check out the changelog for a full list of changes, fixes and package updates. The LFS 7.3 book is available either as an online resource or as a downloadable in HTML file (no PDF format this time). The publication serves primarily as an educational exercise for those who would like to learn about Linux internals in a hands-on, practical manner.